Contents

Early Life

Niko was born in present day serbia (formerly yugoslavia). His father was a bully who Niko never believed in whilst his mother, Milica, was unhappy that her son grew up in such a harsh place. Niko had a brother who was killed, although it is not stated how or when. He had wanted to be an astronaut but in the war-torn Yugoslavia this was impossible. According to Niko, his mother was one of "life's victims", and he was raised mostly by Roman's mother, who originally wanted him to go to Liberty City with his cousin rather than fighting in the war. It is also revealed by Niko during a conversation with Kate that while Roman was in Liberty City, Niko found Roman's mother raped and murdered. Knowing he would be overwhelmed with devastation, Niko covered up what happened and told Roman that she died in a house fire.

Yugoslav Wars

He grew up during the harsh times of the Yugoslav Wars, in which he participated as an angry youth. Niko witnessed and committed numerous atrocities during the war, which led to his cynical perspective on life, and a certain degree of regret, depression, and emotional detachedness. A defining moment in the war, for Niko, was when his army unit of fifteen young men were ambushed by the enemy. Niko barely escaped and most of his friends were killed. He later discovers that two other members (Florian Cravic and Darko Brevic), of the unit also survived, and concludes that one of those two sold the unit out for money. Niko vows to track down the culprit, motivated not solely by revenge, but a need for closure and to move on with his own life.

Post War Life

Work was hard to come by following the war. His cousin, Roman, moved to America to start a new life in Liberty City, and although Niko did not leave, he began working in the criminal underworld for the next ten years. He also continued his search to discover who ambushed his army unit, until his arrest. After being released from prison, he began working for a human trafficking ring under the orders of Rodislav Bulgarin. When a boat sank in the Adriatic during one smuggling run into Italy, Niko managed to swim to safety, although everything else was lost. Rodislav Bulgarin blamed the sinking on Niko, stating he had sunk the ship intentionally to escape with the money. Bulgarin was too powerful to fight back against, and so Niko joined the merchant navy.

Life in Liberty City

Niko spent seven months at sea on the Platypus ship, heading for Liberty City, where his cousin Roman lived. Niko also knew that Florian Cravic had moved to the city. He arrives in Liberty City in 2008 and realizes that Roman's tales of success are lies, as Roman only owns a small flat, a taxi depot and has large gambling debts. Niko ends up working for Roman, protecting his cousin from the loan sharks that keep harassing him. Roman soon loans Niko's services to friends and enemies alike, which angers Niko although he needs the money, and sets in motion the events of the game.

Niko's view of American culture is one of confusion and mild disgust. The rampant materialism annoys him and he has trouble relating to Roman's fascination with the country. Plus, after working for so many criminals, he gains the impression that everyone in Liberty City is a crook.

At the end of the game, a Weazel News report states that Niko is wanted for questioning by the police.

Personality

Personality-wise, Niko is a very down-to-business person, and is very protective when it comes to his family and loved ones, especially Roman, despite the fact that Roman often gets Niko in trouble. During the game, many of his female acquaintances of his point out that Niko has sophisticated manners and appears to be a very decent person. Niko also maintains a no-nonsense attitude, and at many times throughout the game attempts to resolve conflicts between two parties without the use of violence. However, he tends to get angry easily when he is argued with irrationally, falsely blamed or cheated upon - a trait that might have been aggravated by his past experiences during the war (and a trait shared with past GTAProtagonist's, like Carl Johnson and Tommy Vercetti), and he is often sarcastic. But he is also portrayed a caring figure: the player can make Niko help various Random Characters on the street who are having problems; Niko also consoles the family of a friend after one of their family members dies. He appears to be a more mature and sensible person than many of his acquaintances; for example, Niko criticizes his friend Packie when Packie jokes over the death of his own brother, and brings people down to reality in a flat-out way, e.g. during a chase sequence, when an acquaintance makes a trivial comment about the ride, Niko responds by saying "We're not on a sight-seeing cruise!"

The most significant aspect of Niko's personality is his cynicism, which he gained in the war. He criticizes his acquaintances for expecting him to have fun amidst his troubled situation. Niko's biggest weakness is his inability to let go of the past - which causes him much aggression when the issue of finding his betrayers comes up; Niko is criticized by many of his friends and most notably Roman, for this weakness. Despite that, Niko holds on firm to his belief that one of the main reasons he is in America is to resolve and put closure to his past. Niko also has a prominent distaste for drugs - he regularly refuses Little Jacob's offer of marijuana and occasionally expresses dissent for the heroin he is supposed to be dealing with.

Niko's view of American culture is one of confusion and mild disgust. The rampant materialism annoys him and he has trouble relating to Roman's fascination with the country. And, after working for so many criminals, his cynicism is reinforced in Liberty City.